New York Public Library’s Renovation Plan Awaits Word From NYC’s New Mayor

Here’s a recently published article from The New York Times (about 1100 words) that provides a look at the current state of the renovation with comments from those for and against the plan. 

From the Article:

For the time being, Mr. de Blasio [NYC Mayor] has let stand the $150 million in capital funds that the Bloomberg administration pledged to the renovation project. But the cost analysis that he called for last summer has yet to be completed, and his office has said its final funding decisions on the library and other capital projects will not be made until the spring.

In recent weeks, the Committee to Save the New York Public Library, which opposes the renovation, has forwarded nearly 3,000 email letters from supporters imploring the mayor to reconsider the plan. Several elected officials have also written letters to Mr. de Blasio urging him to direct the money elsewhere.

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Last fall, the library went so far as to hire an outside lobbying firm, the Parkside Group, to help promote its plan. Mr. Marx has acknowledged that he spoke informally last month with City Hall about another topic: how the library and its 88 branches could help the city realize one of Mr. de Blasio’s favorite initiatives, the introduction of prekindergarten classes to the public school system.

Theodore Grunewald, vice president of the Committee to Save the New York Public Library, said he hopes the library’s gesture “doesn’t privilege N.Y.P.L.’s access to the administration over the community groups that are opposed to the Central Library Plan.”

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The renovation plan calls for moving Mid-Manhattan’s circulating functions from its present location across Fifth Avenue into space currently occupied by research stacks, which some advocates have sought to preserve as architecturally significant. The design by the British architect Norman Foster, would convert the stacks into a new public space overlooking Bryant Park with bookshelves, seating areas and desks.

Read the Complete Article

See Also: Some of Our Other Posts About the NYPL Plan

See Also: The Nation Publishes “The Hidden History of New York City’s Central Library Plan”

See Also: Recent Events Should Be Wake-Up Call for NYC Mayor Regarding New York Public Library’s Central Library Plan

See Also New York Public Library Rethinks Design (Central Library Plan)

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